What the people want…

¹⁶ Standing up, Paul gestured with his hand and said, “Fellow Israelites and Gentile God-worshippers, please listen to me. ¹⁷ The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors. God made them a great people while they lived as strangers in the land of Egypt. With his great power, he led them out of that country. ¹⁸ For about forty years, God put up with them in the wilderness. ¹⁹ God conquered seven nations in the land of Canaan and gave the Israelites their land as an inheritance. ²⁰ This happened over a period of about four hundred fifty years. “After this, he gave them judges until the time of the prophet Samuel. ²¹ The Israelites requested a king, so God gave them Saul, Kish’s son, from the tribe of Benjamin, and he served as their king for forty years. ²² After God removed him, he raised up David to be their king. God testified concerning him, ‘I have found David, Jesse’s son, a man who shares my desires. Whatever my will is, he will do.’ ²³ From this man’s descendants, God brought to Israel a savior, Jesus, just as he promised. ²⁴ Before Jesus’ appearance, John proclaimed to all the Israelites a baptism to show they were changing their hearts and lives. ²⁵ As John was completing his mission, he said, ‘Who do you think I am? I’m not the one you think I am, but he is coming after me. I’m not worthy to loosen his sandals.’ (Acts 13:16-25, CEB)

Did you see in this reading that God was very open to the leading of the people?

God led the Israelites out of Egypt and to the promise land when they grumbled in their slavery, and then when they settled in the promised land God provided Judges to help the people. When the people wanted kings rather than judges, kings were provided.

Then God found one who was a man who shares God’s own heart, who also went after his own desires from time to time. But through this man, God brought us the messiah. Jesus came through the lineage of David to show us how to live and be the children that God created us to be.

Let us be like Jesus, and love all and speak for those who can not speak for themselves.